This invention relates generally to card games and methods therefor and, more particularly, to a method of playing multiple-draw poker that would provide players with the opportunity to progressively build poker hands by duplicating held cards from a latest completed hand into a new hand.
Many card games have been developed over the years for both social and gambling purposes. Poker, with all of its variations, is perhaps the most popular gambling card game. When playing against opponents, the general aim of poker is to collect a five card hand that is superior to opponents five card hands or to try to bet in such a way (called xe2x80x9cbluffingxe2x80x9d) as to cause opponents to believe that their hand is inferior and subsequently xe2x80x9cfoldxe2x80x9d (concede or turn in) their hand. In video poker, however, there are often no opponents and therefore no bluffing. Winning at video poker generally means collecting a five card hand of at least a minimum predetermined value.
Many people find that the basic game of poker has become somewhat stale and boring. Attempts have been made to liven up the game in several different ways. In video poker machines, for example, variations on the game of poker exist which cannot be found in casino poker rooms (e.g. wild cards and jokers). In addition, some video poker machines allow the player to play multiple hands of poker simultaneously. In one popular variation known as Triple Play(copyright), the player receives three hands of poker. The Triple Play(copyright) variations are covered in U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,873 issued to Moody. In one variation of this game, after receiving an initial hand of five cards the player can choose to select as few as zero and as many as all of the five cards as cards to be held. All held cards from the initial hand immediately show up in the remaining two hands. When the player then selects the draw function, the video poker machine completes all three hands up to five cards, making a five card hand in each of the three hands. Similar variations allow as many as 10 hands of poker to be played simultaneously in the same fashion.
However, when playing against opponents in a live game, or playing video poker gaming machines (including Triple Play(copyright) and its variations) the player is generally limited to exercising his or her discretion in the selection process only during the initial hand of a single game, and before the player draws cards to complete the hand. The player therefore cannot progressively build future poker hands based on previously completed (i.e. post-draw) poker hands. In Triple Play(copyright) and its variations, it is generally only with the initial hand, and before any cards to complete the hand are drawn, that the player may choose which cards to hold and which cards to discard. After the cards in the initial hand have been selected, those same cards are automatically selected in all remaining hands, eliminating the opportunity for any future selection process in any of the remaining hands which could lead to building progressively better poker hands. For example, in prior art games if an initial hand in multiple-draw poker includes tow Jacks and the player selects them as cards to be held (while at the same time discarding the three other cards) then the second hand and all other subsequent hands will include those same pair of Jacks. In these prior art games, if, in the second hand, the player draws three more cards to complete his or her hand and receives a third Jack (and two other cards of no poker value) this player has no ability to make that third Jack a held card for a third hand, and so on. The prior art does not allow a player to progressively build poker hands by continuing to duplicate cards to be held from previously completed (i.e.. after the draw) hands.
A need therefore existed for providing a new, exciting method of playing multiple-draw poker that would provide players with the opportunity to progressively build poker hands by duplicating held cards from a latest completed hand into a new hand.
An object of the present invention is to provide a new method for playing multiple-draw poker in which a player has the opportunity to select which cards to hold in each hand of a multiple-draw poker game.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new method for playing multiple-draw poker in which a player has the opportunity to progressively build poker hands by duplicating held cards from a latest completed hand into a new hand.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a new method for playing multiple-draw poker in which a player has the opportunity to wager separate amounts on each hand of a multiple-draw poker game.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a new method for playing multiple-draw poker which utilizes a 60 card deck with 15 ranked cards.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a method for playing a multiple-draw card game of poker is disclosed comprising, in combination, the steps of dealing a first hand of at least five cards, selecting as few as none and as many as all of the at least five cards of the first hand as cards to be held, discarding cards from the first hand not selected as cards to be held, duplicating the held cards of the first hand into a second hand, drawing additional cards to complete the first hand to have at least five cards, drawing additional cards to complete the second hand to have at least five cards, selecting as few as zero and as many as all of the at least five cards of the second hand as cards to be held, duplicating the held cards of the second hand into a third hand, drawing additional cards to complete the third hand to have at least five cards, and determining a poker hand value of a completed first hand and a completed second hand and a completed third hand.
The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following, more particular description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.